Bradley University Athletics

Perlwitz Headlines Trio of Braves Honored by MVC

MVC All-Conference Announcement

Josh Schwam, Athletics Communications Student Assistant Women's Tennis 4/22/2021 10:04:00 AM

ST. LOUIS – For just the third time in program history, but second consecutive full season, a Bradley women's tennis student-athlete has earned all-conference honors. Sophomore Nikki Perlwitz was tabbed the All-Missouri Valley Conference player at No. 6 Singles, while junior Sandra Maletin and sophomore Bozana Lojpur both earned All-Select honors, according to a vote of The Valley's head coaches announced by the league office Thursday morning.

Perlwitz joins teammates Lojpur and Natalia Barbery, who earned All-MVC at No. 2 Singles and No. 4 Singles in 2019, respectively, as the only Braves to collect all-conference recognition.

To date this season, Perlwitz has posted a 7-3 record at No. 6 Singles, including 4-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. She will enter the MVC Women's Tennis Championship on a six-match winning streak, having not dropped a set during her winning streak. In her last two Valley matches, she dropped a total of just seven games.

Lojpur's recognition as All-Select comes after being named MVC Freshman of the Year and All-MVC at No. 2 Singles in 2019. She went 10-4 at No. 2 Singles including 3-2 in league play during the regular season. Lojpur already ranks 12th in program history with 48 singles wins, all coming from the No. 2 spot.

Boasting a 12-3 overall record at No. 1 Singles, including a 4-1 mark in Valley action, Maletin earned the third All-Select honor of her career, joining Ariel Dechter (2015-16-17) as the only three-time MVC All-Select performers in program history. The junior held a team-high, eight-match winning streak during the season and was recognized as MVC Singles Player of the Week Feb. 17.

Maletin holds the program record with eight recognitions as MVC Singles Player of the Week. In her conference wins, Maletin dropped only one set and improved her career record in league play to 11-4.

Maletin and Lojpur each have seven combined wins across singles and doubles in league play this season, which has them in a tie for third place in program history for combined MVC wins in a season by an individual.

The trio helped Bradley secure its third straight winning season, the first such streak since 1991-93. The Braves also have produced back-to-back winning records in league play for the first time ever in the Missouri Valley Conference, having only previously accomplished the two-year feat as a member of the Gateway Conference in 1992 and the MVC in 1993.

The No. 4 seed, Bradley will open the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis Championship Friday at 2 p.m. against fifth-seeded Drake.

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